Random

Usually I like to write with some sort of theme... not so today. The thoughts in my head as I will try to sum up our time in Goa are random - snippets of ideas and information connected to eachother often only because they are from India.
1 - The little boy with the ankle wound came back, his infection far worse. We prescribed anti-biotics via telling his teacher to tell whoever would pick him up from school to tell his parents how to take them. They are illiterate so I spent time making a sun-up chart to say when he should take them... no good, his family is picture illiterate too (yes, it's a real thing). And when he returned Monday, (infection much better, thank God) his 7 day course was already finished. We spent copious amounts of water and time and rubbing to continue getting dirt out of the wound. The culprit in the end was an embedded peice of glass. I hope he will continue to heal. Even for our team who have the proper means for cleaning - humidity, sand, and filth slow the process considerably.
2 - Men's speedos aren't so bad - when compared to the local men's swimsuits here - straight up ginch... yeah, even tighty whities... I've seen it all (and presume you have too, right Sarah I.?)
3 - I am so thankful for my nation's passport that does not limit me from border crossings; my nation's health care that makes the unbelievable things I see here day to day obsolete; the sanitation system of my country that makes tap water safe to drink, puts pressure into a shower, and gets rid of waste; an education system that makes it impossible for the clerk at my local retail store to be 8 years old.
4 - Don't get me wrong - I am loving India... I haven't experienced enough of it yet to really understand the things here my own nation is missing that are still alive in this place. Every place I've been has taught me something important we have left behind in the West in pursuit of our big dreams. I know the lesson is here, I just haven't seen it yet.
5 - "Any job, anytime, anywhere" is what I think is written on the equipment at my place of employment... it could also be the motto for the bathroom here.
6 - When I first went to Africa over 9 years ago, I prayed that God would grant me not only compassion, but compassion with wisdom. You can't always give to everyone, and not all giving benefits even the recipient. I am still on this journey.
7 - I bought a pink shirt. Not all of you will understand how whack this is, but Meller I know you're smiling:)
OK... that's all. Thanks for sharing in the rabbit trails. Namastee.

Need a presciption... or something?

I've spent the last few morning in a clinic that services Banaii, a slum area of about 10 000 people. Though I was origonally assigned to visit HIV patients, I was swapped out after the discovery that I am a "nurse". Origonally, I protested this title and tried emphatically to explain the difference (several times). But how do I get introduced? - the "nurse". I am so underqualified for the expectations of this place, yet have the most education and experience in this field at this time. It has been amazing... the first patient had undiagnosed abdominal pain, and without an assessment I was asked to write him a prescription. I have since understood that it is totally expected that I write a prescription for just about every patient. I can put anything from pepto bismol (his) to morphine (I still can't imagine circumstances that would have me write this on a paper and sign it). It is so bizarre to have that authority and expectation. The next stories may not be for everyone, so if you don't like gross, you may want to stop... A little girl came yesterday, about 5 years old, her hands covered with pus sores and blisters and filled with dirt and filth. I'm not sure exactly what she has. I do know there were no gloves available as I took a needle and popped the pustuals, cleaning them as best I could with what was available. Then we bandaged up her hands and told her mother she must apply antibiotic cream and come back tomorrow to have the dressings changed as the infection is spreading. Today they didn't come. The 4 year old boy who came in today cut his inside ankle 5 days ago... today it is open, deep, and the outside tissue is beginning to die. We cleaned and flushed for half an hour but it was still dirty. I cut away the folds of his skin where it was still pushed inside the cut with dirty dull scissors we cleaned with alcohol - no freezing... He just watched and his only tears were when we attempted to pop the large bulge of pus under his skin with a needle. I hope he will return tomorrow so that we can use a scalpel to get rid of the rest. With the dead tissue still attatched, healing will be difficult. There isn't another place for him to go... I have so much to learn. So that's a peice of my day - would love to hear about yours:)

Sensing India

We have arrrived... India... I am wishing I could post pictures today as my words will fail to convey the small piece of this country I've seen. But pictures can't capture it either - they don't communicate sound or smell, taste or touch, which will be the makers of my memories here. But it is beautiful - showing you the view I will wake up to for the next three weeks alongside the beaches of Goa will make it hard to believe I'm a mercenary. It is glorious, the Arabian Sea which runs into the Indian Ocean is just 1.5 blocks from our guesthouse. And neither are there pictures of the beggars I met today, both hungry, unkempt, and persistant. The one man has no legs, and the other an old woman who was obviously not well - both for whom the few cents they get will never improve their quality of life. It has struck me again today, that for these two scenes God finds the second far more beautiful. And the noise! I guess 1.2 billion people in a nation far smaller than Canada is bound to be noisy everywhere, from the fireworks that exploded right outside our house as I went to bed to the rooster that woke me up this morning (at about 4am though it isn't light out til 7 - anyone have a memory like this:)) This doesn't account for the constant people sounds during the day, the hum of life going on as "normal". Smell... well, there's a lot of them here. I would say overall you may be glad that I can't post smells here - but there are some wonderful ones too - streets lined with spices:) Taste... the food so far has been wonderful (Nealeen, I was thinking about you today as I ate my curry, and you too, Deni, remembering how much you like it:)) But I will mention that the snacks are a little, um, weird. Touch will begin soon; I think I've been posted to assist either in a clinic of miscellaneous ages and ailments, or with work alongside people affected by HIV/AIDS. I expect perhaps that some of what I'll see in the next few weeks will far outdo my own capacity to offer love and hope. Offering "there theres" and "it's okays" for things I don't have to experience seem shallow at best. As people, we often hope and love when circumstance offer us reason... and I don't anticipate seeing a lot of reasons for these vices in these places. The mystery is that even here, they still exist to the eyes that can see. May God grant me these eyes that I can see, and at least words to explain this vision to those who can't yet see themselves - that hope and love (as well faith) are undying candles, no matter what. So I am going to header here now, to experience some of that "what", and as you move on to experience yours, I pray you will find and count your reasons for faith, hope, and love today... no matter what!

Impressions

First, I will need to apolagize to the visual viewers - my laptop is stowed away in Cyprus and has not accompanied me to Jordan, and therefore can't come to India with me tomorrow. In short, no pictures for the next few weeks - sorry about that! Which is too bad because Jordan is a hauntingly beautiful country - I have never seen topography like this before, either in the city or in the countryside. The capital looks something like out of the movies. Apartment buildings jammed together along the sides of mountains, all one colour and style, flat roofed, dirty beige, and squashed together. Many have shops on the ground floor. Traffic is a river, not a road, and driving means accepting that the lines aren't necessary reference points. The rural area is made up of a thousand shades of brown, but it is breathtaking in its own way. I don't think I've seen a single flower growing wild here. Just me - glad to be a part of this world for a little while. A few of us swam in the dead sea yesterday, and had a mud fight with the stuff that is so expensive to buy in the stores in the rest of the world... and only one real injury (Stuart's eye - he'll be ok) The people are hospitable and friendly, and the amount of food I've eaten in the last few days reflect this:) I've been trying to speak Arabic - the few words I know - and after stepping on the back of a man's shoe on the street I stated "asfar" which means "yellow" instead of "esfa" which really means "sorry". I hope he's laughed about it as much as I have... anyways, so there's the Jordan first impression... Happy new year to each of you in your places of the world - today I am enjoying mine!